Wow it’s been 12 months since the last update, how slack have I been !

I’ve been super busy but I have a good excuse (see attached photo’s) … Well I’ve been taking lots of baby photos, and I also saw it as an excuse to try out Polaroid cameras. I have never really got the point of Polaroids, my argument was always, it’s way more expensive than film and you don’t even get a negative. But having played with a few polaroid cameras and impossible film, I’m coming around to the idea that polaroid is cool in it’s own way. It’s not something to replace shooting film it’s just something extra to have in addition to film.

Over the past 6 months I’ve been playing with impossible v1 film and V2.0, I’ve got to say v2.0 is a huge increase in quality. I’m looking forward to trying it in spectra format. Also waiting for the v2.0 to come out in colour. Looks like the Impossible people are going full steam ahead.

My first attempt at a photo essay. I decided I’d have a go at photo essay’s as I have been seeing some very lovely ones on the net lately, most notably over at www.theonlinedarkroom.com . So I grabbed my Nikon FM and loaded it with some Kodak Double-X (motion picture film). The Coogee to Bondi beach walk is a 6.5 Km coastal walk between two of Sydney’s most iconic beaches.

First stop Gordon’s bay no-one pays much attention to the signs

Further on at Clovelly the local PADI SCUBA centre trains divers all year around.

The protected beach at Clovelley is very popular with families as well. Where as Tammara beach is where the beautiful people go to be seen in their teensy weensy bikini’s.

The kids play football(soccer) while the older people play lawn bowls

The historic Waverly cemetery marks the half way point of the walk.

A nice spot to soak up the winter sun and watch the surfers, or read a good book.

Although with all the lovely beaches I cant understand why this surfer is surfing so close to the rocks.

6.5 km and 600 Calories later the end is in sight

Bondi ice bergs sea baths is one of Sydney’s most iconic outdoor swimming pools. The Sydney coast line has literally hundreds of these sea baths / rock pools / swimming pools. Most of them are owned by the local city council and are free to use, others like the Bondi one are privately owned and charge a small fee.

Seems to me this guy has it all backwards. He might have his facts right about early lens quality v Zeiss v nikkor. But he’s conclusions and assumptions are all wrong. Firstly his definition of “Leica Photography” seems to be stuck in the 1920′s, he actually doesn’t even define his definition of “Leica photography” but one can assume from his text, and the way he talks about HCB that he’s definition of “Leica photography” is closely tied to the pictorial movement and “the decisive moment”.

“Leica Photography” is a living organism it evolves, “Leica Photography” of the 1920-30′s is very different to “Leica Photography”of the Korean/Viet Nam war era. During the pictorial movement photographers, tried to make art that was pictorial/painterly (which was why bromoil was popular at this time), this is why grain and soft focus was popular not because lenses were crap. “Leica Photography” has always been about creating art, fast forward to this decade and the Leica M is no different it’s not about shooting test charts and getting the highest DxO rating. It’s about creating art and if that means using silverFx to add grain to a razor sharp digital file then that’s good too.

Leica became marginalized during the rise of the SLR in the 70-80′s and then to make things worse the dSLR revolution of the late 90′s and 2000′s pushed Leica further back. It has nothing to do with the Leitz family, quite the opposite, they let Leica slip on their watch they just kept phoning it in, allowing the company to become a dinosaur. Then the Millionaire guy bought Leica, he wasn’t just some soulless venture capitalist he IS a photography enthusiast (check out his interview on youtube). He loved his Leica camera and wanted to make Leica great again. He succeeded!

Not only is “Leica Photography” NOT dead, it’s more alive today than it has been in decades!

Actually come to think about it, the fact this guy has a blog dedicated to Leica photography, proved Leica Photography is not dead.

The very first Rolleiflex twin lens prototype ever made, built in 1925/26 with one focusing wheel for the viewing and taking lens (like all later Rolleiflex cameras), for 4.5x6cm plates as the 120 rollfilm wasn’t invented, in fully original condition with certificate by DHW and original patent letter no.519590

Expected to fetch 35,000 – 45,000 EUR

They also have the only Hassleblad to make it to the moon and back. There were a total of 14 cameras to be used on the moon the other 13 are still on the moon and free to anyone who wants them, “local pick up only”!

Well we have been slack lately and not made many blog posts. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy doing photography. So my new years resolution is more blog posts.

Wikipedia defines dry plates as “Dry plate, also known as gelatin process, is an improved type of photographic plate. It was invented by Dr. Richard L. Maddox in 1871, and by 1879 it was so well introduced that the first dry plate factory had been established. With much of the complex chemistry work centralized into a factory, the new process simplified the work of photographers, allowing them to expand their business.” — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_plate

I have started experimenting with dry plates. Dry plates are the direct fore-runner of film as we know it. Instead of using a “FILM” base, dry plates use a sheet of plate glass. Before dry plates, photographic plates were coated with chemistry that needed to be exposed in the camera while the plates were still wet – hence the name wet plate. Which meant that the wet plates needed to be exposed with in about 10 minutes after coating them. Dry plates, like film can last a very long time after coating.

This is my first attempt, the plate is coated with a “subbing” layer of photo grade gelatine which is used to make the photographic emulsion stick to the plate. Without the subbing layer the emulsion will just slide off when developing. I found it was a bit tricky to get a even coating of the emulsion, but I think it is all practice. I will keep trying and I’m sure I’ll get there in the end.

hopefully the new site is more user friendly with it’s minimalistic design philosophy and will be easier to administer from our end. Please let us know what you think through the comments. Your comments are appreciated and will spur us on to blog and review more and more .